Ex-CIA director John Brennan wants 'favored' Trump judge kept away from Justice Department inquiry

Source: AP

Updated 4:32 PM EST, December 22, 2025


WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former CIA Director John Brennan want the Justice Department to be prevented from steering an investigation of him and other former government officials to a “favored” judge in Florida who dismissed the classified documents case against President Donald Trump.

The request Monday is addressed to U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, the chief judge in the Southern District of Florida, where federal prosecutors are pursuing a criminal investigation related to the U.S. government assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Brennan and other former officials have received subpoenas, and Brennan’s lawyers say he’s been advised by prosecutors that he’s a target of the investigation.

Brennan’s lawyers say in their letter that they are concerned the Justice Department is engaged in “judge-shopping” and trying to arrange for the investigation to be transferred to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who issued favorable rulings to Trump during the classified documents case and dismissed it last year. They asked Altonaga to exercise her “supervisory authority” as chief judge to ensure the Justice Department is unable to steer the current Russia-related matter to her.

“In short, we are seeking assurance that any litigation arising out of this grand jury proceeding will be heard by a judge who is selected by the court’s neutral and impartial processes, not by the prosecution’s self-interested maneuvering contrary to the interests of justice,” wrote Brennan’s attorneys, Kenneth Wainstein and Natasha Harnwell-Davis. The New York Times earlier reported on the letter.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/brennan-cia-trump-russia-justice-department-cannon-8272c2270987315fb39190a20d43dba0